The fire had burned through the night, leaving the sky over the docks thick with black smoke. By morning, all that remained of Matteo's last stand was ash, twisted metal, and silence. Yet in that silence, Aria and Luca stood shoulder to shoulder, their hearts beating in time with the low rumble of the city that still breathed beneath the ruin.
They didn't speak for a long while. The men had gone to tend to the wounded, to clean what was left, but neither Aria nor Luca moved. It was as if leaving this place meant acknowledging everything that had just happened, that Matteo was gone, that blood had once again paid the price for loyalty, and that their fragile dream of peace had been scorched to the ground.
Finally, Aria broke the silence. "You had no choice," she said quietly, though her voice trembled.
Luca didn't look at her. His eyes stayed fixed on the flames dying out over the water. "That's the lie we tell ourselves, isn't it? That we never have a choice."
